by Marta Nielson, OIPP
The headlines can be alarming. One in 15 children abuse prescription medication. Every day 2,500 teenagers use a prescription drug to get high for the first time.
Prescription medication abuse is not limited to those under the age of 21. It is a growing problem in our country and concerned parents, young adults, and community members nationwide are all beginning to listen and to act. There are steps that individuals, parents, communities and local organizations can take.
Current information and trends can be found in the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services) National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health.
One example of survey findings reveals that 5.2 million people reported a “non-medical” use of prescription pain medicine in the past month. Of those, 670,000 were youth between the ages 12 and 17; 1.5 million were young adults, aged 18 to 25; and 3 million were adults.
While these are national statistics, national trends can be reflected in local trends as well.
“Many of the DUI arrests we get involve prescription drugs and/ or alcohol, which, as you know, is even a more toxic mix,” Sergeant Steve Vierthaler said. “As far as juveniles and adults go, we see about a 40/60 mix of abuse between juveniles and adults, probably a little more so with the adults as they can get them easier.”
Two other trends that emerge from the survey results include a correlation between early use and continued use and that “new use” has been increasing since the mid-1980s, especially for pain relievers.
So, what motivates teens to engage in prescription drug abuse?
“When treating individuals, couples or family systems dealing with addiction to prescription drugs, illegal drugs or legal drugs like alcohol, clinicians most often discover that the physical and emotional pain that families and individuals are attempting to eliminate are spawned by typical family and social problems,” Michael Mele, a licensed psychotherapist practicing on Orcas, said.
Research has also shown that the perception of risk for experimentation with prescription drugs is lower simply because, in the adolescent mind, prescribed drugs come from medical professionals.
As a result of the 2007 survey findings, the “Synthetic Drug Control Strategy” was adopted by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. It called for cutting the misuse of prescription drugs by 15 percent over the next three years.
Anyone seeking useful information and tips can visit www.notinmyhouse.com.
Other useful websites for families to check out include: www.drugfreeamerica.org; www.teendrugabuse.us; www.theantidrug.com and www.drugabuse.gov/drugpages.
Locally, the Orcas Island Prevention Partnership, a community coalition of 12 local organizations, non-profits and county and state agencies, is also working to help build awareness and use prevention education and information to address local concerns. In addition, O.P.E.N. – Orcas Parents Encouraging Networking, is a voluntary organization of Orcas High School and Middle School parents committed to supervising kids while in their homes and communicating with other parents when children are at other homes.
For more information, contact Orcas Island Prevention Partnership at 360-376-2786 or email mnielson@orcas.k12.wa.us.
